Police prepare for May Day protests

The
police are preparing to protect employers in some of Britain’s biggest cities
if they are targeted by anti-capitalist and anarchist groups during May Day
protests today.

Members
of these groups are planning to demonstrate at events in London, Liverpool,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leicester and Bradford.

Previous
May Days have seen riots and mass arrests in central London, with offices and
businesses being attacked. Last year there were 54 arrests.

In
the worst riots, in 2000, masked demonstrators ransacked a McDonald’s
restaurant and other buildings in the City of London.

Oil
and arms companies, firms with connections to Iraq and government buildings are
all being targeted by protesters, with the event going under the banner
"Mayday 2003 Weapons of Mass Construction – Our Day".

Up
to 60 firms are also on an internet so-called "hit list" for
protesters, according to one report.